Just five of the Sun Belt Conference's nine teams have pointspread records dating back 10 years so there's not a great statistical data base for bettors. Among independents, only Navy has been a winning play against the spread (ATS) since 2000. Teams are listed in predicted order of finish with 2009 records, returning starters (RS) - including kickers - and returning lettermen (RL) in parentheses:
SUN BELT CONFERENCE
MIDDLE TENNESSEE (10-3 SU, 10-3 ATS, 16 RS, 42 RL)
By the Numbers (2000-2009)
SU:58-60
ATS: 61-51
HF:20-17
HD:3-4
AF:12-8
AD:23-21
Sportsbook Buster: The Blue Raiders are 30-19 ATS versus non-conference foes since 2000.
Sports Betting Angle: MiddleTennesseeState has covered four straight against North Texas.
TROY (9-4 SU, 7-5-1 ATS, 11 RS, 44 RL)
By the Numbers (2000-2009)
SU:70-50
ATS: 52-41-2
HF:15-10
HD:4-2
AF:9-9
AD:23-18-1
Sportsbook Buster: The Trojans are 19-12 ATS at home since being placed on the board in 2001.
Sports Betting Angle: Troy has covered five in a row versus Louisiana-Lafayette.
NORTH TEXAS (2-10 SU, 5-7 ATS, 17 RS, 48 RL)
By the Numbers (2000-2009)
SU:42-78
ATS: 55-62
HF:13-9
HD:11-14
AF:7-6
AD:23-29
Sportsbook Buster: The Mean Green is 7-1 as conference home favorite of more than six points.
Sports Betting Angle: North Texas is 8-1-1 ATS in its last nine games against Louisiana-Lafayette.
FLORIDAATLANTIC (5-7 SU, 4-8 ATS, 11 RS, 32 RL)
By the Numbers (2000-2009)
SU:51-54
ATS: 30-36-1
HF:3-10
HD:5-4
AF:4-1
AD:12-20-1
Sportsbook Buster: The Owls are 12-20-1 as away underdogs since 2004, their first year on the board.
Sports Betting Angle: FloridaAtlantic has covered five straight games against Louisiana-Lafayette.
ARKANSASSTATE (4-8 SU, 2-9 ATS, 11 RS, 54 RL)
By the Numbers (2000-2009)
SU:44-74
ATS: 46-61-1
HF:11-14
HD:11-7
AF:1-10
AD:22-29-1
Sportsbook Buster: The Red Wolves are 1-10 as road favorites the last 10 seasons.
Sports Betting Angle: ArkansasState has covered seven straight as a home underdog versus a non-conference foe.
LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE (6-6 SU, 5-6 ATS, 13 RS, 43 RL)
By the Numbers (2000-2009)
SU:42-74
ATS: 50-53-3
HF:8-11-2
HD:11-11-1
AF:6-7
AD:25-24
Sportsbook Buster: The Ragin' Cajuns are 6-0 as conference underdogs of more than 11 points.
Sports Betting Angle: Louisiana-Lafayette has covered six straight encounters with Florida International.
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL (3-9 SU, 5-7 ATS, 11 RS, 42 RL)
By the Numbers (2000-2009)
SU:24-68
ATS: 29-32
HF:4-5
HD:8-6
AF:2-1
AD:14-17
Sportsbook Buster: The Golden Panthers have covered three straight games against North Texas.
Sports Betting Angle: Florida International has covered its last three games versus Troy.
LOUISIANA-MONROE (6-6 SU, 5-6 ATS, 10 RS, 40 RL)
By the Numbers (2000-2009)
SU:37-79
ATS: 53-51
HF:5-11
HD:12-10
AF:5-1
AD:31-29
Sportsbook Buster: The Warhawks are 5-11 as home favorites since 2000.
Sports Betting Angle: Louisiana-Monroe has covered five straight games against ArkansasState.
WESTERN KENTUCKY (0-12 SU, 6-5 ATS, 18 RS, 44 RL)
By the Numbers (2000-2009)
SU:70-53
ATS:9-12
HF:0-1
HD:3-5
AF:0-0
AD:6-6
Sportsbook Buster: The Hilltoppers are 4-1 ATS versus foes with winning records since joining the betting board three years ago.
Sports Betting Angle: Western Kentucky has covered both of its games against Troy.
INDEPENDENTS
NOTRE DAME (6-6 SU, 4-8 ATS, 14 RS, 44 RL)
By the Numbers (2000-2009)
SU:70-52
ATS: 58-63-1
HF:18-29
HD:9-7
AF:9-6-1
AD:17-14
Sportsbook Buster: The Fighting Irish are only 18-29 as home favorites the last 10 years.
Sports Betting Angle: Notre Dame is 10-3 ATS in its last 13 games against Pittsburgh.
NAVY (10-4 SU, 6-6-1 ATS, 13 RS, 37 RL)
By the Numbers (2000-2009)
SU:64-59
ATS: 61-52-1
HF:10-18-1
HD:8-8-1
AF:5-6
AD:23-10
Sportsbook Buster: The Midshipmen are 23-10 as road underdogs the past 10 seasons.
Sports Betting Angle: Navy has covered seven straight games against Air Force.
ARMY (5-7 SU, 4-7 ATS, 16 RS, 49 RL)
By the Numbers (2000-2009)
SU:25-92
ATS: 45-64-2
HF:4-6
HD:12-25-1
AF:0-3
AD:23-21-1
Sportsbook Buster: The Black Knights are just 16-31-1 ATS at home the past 10 seasons.
Sports Betting Angle: Army is 11-2 ATS in the first of back-to-back road games.
Legend:
SU= Straight Up
ATS = Against the Spread
HF= Home Favorite
HD= Home Underdog
AF= Away Favorite
AD= Away Underdog
This is the last installment of an 11-part college football preview series for the 2010 season.
This article was written by Luken Karel for http://www.thegreek.com. The Greek Sportsbook & Casino is host to one of the top online sportsbooks offering college football betting and sports betting on NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and all other major sports. The Greek is a must have sports betting and entertainment portal with one of the largest wagering menus available online. Article reproductions must include a link pointing to http://www.thegreek.com
